Method of forming needles.



a; A. LI'NI), METHOD OF FORMING NEEDLES.

APPLICATION FILED 1\IAY22. 1911.

1,957,860., I Patented Apr. 1, 1913.

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JAMES A. LIND, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND. ASSIGHOR E OhTE-TEIED To WILLIS Q. SAMPSON AND ONE-THIRD T0 FRED E. HQRTON, 30TH Q GRANSTON. RHODE ISLAND.

fipecification of Letters Yatcnt.

METHOD OF FORMING NEEDLES.

latented Apr. 2. i921:

Application filed May 22, .1911. Serial No. 623,759.

1'0 11/] whom it may concern:

lie ll known that 1, James A. Linn. a citizen of the nited States, residing at the city of Providence, in the county of Provi deuce and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Iinproxements in Methods of Forming Needles. of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompany ing drawing.

This invention relates to an improved method of forming an easy threading sewing machine needle and has for its object to provide a simple and practical method whereby my improved construction of needle may be formed of one integral piece of wire by reduring, the portion of the body 'of the wire and folding said reduced portion back upon the body portion forming a flexible arm integral with the body andleaving sufficient stock at the fold or bend to be drawn out to form the needle point, the eye is then formed in the stock near the point on the inner edge of the body, said eve havingan opening covered by the folded portion. A retaining member for securing the free end of the folded portion or resilient arm 'is applied to 1 the body and the shank is enlarged to the standard size by any suitable means.

lVith these and other objects in View, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings: i shows a straight piece. of wire from which the needle is constructed. Fig. 2- shows the first operation which reduces the end portion of the'wire. Fig. 3 shows the operation for shaping the end of the wire and flattening one side of the same. Fig. 4 is a section at 44 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5- is asection at 5.-5 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6- is a section at 6-6 of Fig. 3. Fig. 7 shows the reduced. portion of the wire bent. at a of Fig. 3 and folded lengthwise back upon the body portion. Fig. 8- shows the stock drawn out at the bend to form the needle point. Fig. 9 shows the body portion of the stock grooved longitudinally to receive the thread. Fig. ,10- shows the opposite side of the needle also provided with a short groove. Fig. 11- is an enlarged cross section on line ll jl of Fig'l 10 showing the relative depths of the grooves. Fig.'12'- Figure shows the eye formed by cutting through the same between the grooves. Fig. 13- is an enlarged new showing a portion of the end of the needle and the eye formed therein.

Fig. 1l shows an enlarged detail in sec tion of the retaining sleeve: Fig. 15 is an enlarged end View of the sleeve showing the split. forming flexible lips. Fig. 16- shows said sleeve in position on the shank and engaging'the free end of the flexible arm to hol l the same in position against the body.

larging plate. 18 shows the plate bent up into a U-shape in cross section ready to receive the shank of the needle.

Fig. l9 shows the sheet stock wrapped and swaged around the shank. Fig. 20% is a cross section on line 20-2G of Fig. 19.

Referring to the drawings Ell designates a plain piece of wire from which the needle is formed, a portion of the body of said wire beine' reduced at 21 and its end QZbeing preferably brought nearly to a point in the first operation. -'lhe second operation is to flatten one side of the wire as at '23 and- Fig. ll is a perspective view of the shank on ing the same a concavo-com'ex shape as iii. The next operation is to head this reduced portion substantially at (1 preferably at or just above the place where the reduction of stock commences, this reduced por tion being folded lengthwise baclt upou the body portion .20 bringing}; the flattened surfaces Bit- 23 together and forming a thin flexible arm 21. The stock at the fold or bend 24: is then drawn out and reduced to a sharp point 25. The next operation is to form a groove 26, by inilling'or otherwise. lengthwise of the body portion 20 in which the thread may lie'while the needle is pass ing through the work. Another and shorter groove 27 is also formed by milling;- or otherwise in the opposite side of the body portion of the needle leaving a thin fin between the two grooves. as illustrated in the enlarged sectional View in Fig". ll. ihe eye 29 of the needle is then formed through the tin 28 near the lower ends of the slot 26 and 27 by a broach. drill. bur. or other suitable means. [in enlarged view of the pointed end of the needle showing the shape of this eye-29 is illustrated in Fig. 13, one side of the eye having an opening at- 30 through the whefehy o loop or big'ht of the thread may he reedily passed down between the flexible one end the body portion and into the eye, quickly and easily threading the some Without the necessity of passing the end of the thread through said eye.

In practice it found desirable in most cases to provide moons for binding the upper or free end 31 of the flexible arm to the body portion of the needle so is to positively close the eye and prevent the thread from pulling out, also to prevent the flexible with fi'om catching in the fabric it passing 'through. To accomplish this binding purpose I have provided a sleeve see Fig. 14, the lower edge of which is turned slightly outward as at 33, while the upper edge is turned slightly inward as at 34, said upper edge being provided with a plurality of slits or slots so that when this sleeve is applied to the needle the lower edge fits over the free end 31 of the flexible onn, while the upper edge of the sleeve grips and binds the body portion of the needle frictionolly holding said sleeve in. any desired position on the body, either when it is pressed down over the end of the arm 61' when drown u p to release the arm to permit the threading of the needle.

In' order to facilitate the forming of the needle I preferably employ a wire Whose diameter is sijibstantially that required for the body of the needle so as to minimize the drawing or reducing operation, in which case the shank of the needle is naturally smaller than the standard size, thus requiring said shank to be enlarged. To accomplish this in a simple and effective manner I drew up a piece of sheet stock 35 into it U-shepe in cross section, as illustrated in Fig. 18, and then-wrap and swage this stock around the shank portion of the needle en- .lnrging the same to the ccquii'ed size, as illustinted in Figs, l9 and 20. but I do not restrict myself to this method of enlarging the shank us any suitable method oi'nieans for this purpose may be employed. Neither do I 'i'osticict myself to the use of a Wi e Whose diameter is that of the body of the needle as a wire of any desired size or shape relative to the size or shape of the needle may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. The needle after being formed is then tempered and polished in the usual way.

By my improved method of forming a, needle l am enabled to fold a piece of wire lengthwise upon itself ondzdmw out the stock at the bend into point, the folded. portion forming a flexible arm the whole being' formed of one pieee integral with. the body portion of the needle, and without the and er ineneeo employment of heat which would be necessary if this arm was soldered or welded into position. By this method I am enabled to produce a needle of this character in a simple, inexpensive and practical manner all the operations in which may be performed successively and automatically while the stock is cold. l,

l clain'i:

1. An improved method of forming a necdle which consists in folding a wire lengthwise upon itself, drawing out the stock at the end into a point and forming an eye in the stock near the point.

2. An improved method of forming a needle which consists infolding a wire lengthwiso upon itself, drawing out the stock at the bend into a point and forming an eye in the stock near the point, and enlarging the shank by attaching; an extra piece of stock thereto. i

An improved method of forming a needle which consists in flattening wire on one side, folding the wire lengthwise upon itself bringing the flattened portions together drawing out the stock at the bend into apoint and forming an eye in the stock near the point.

l. An improved method of forming a needie which consists in reducing a portion of wire, folding said reduced portion upon the body portion of the wire, drawing out the stock at the bend into a point, and forming an eye in the stock near the point.

5. An improved method of forming a needie" which consists in reducing and flattening portion of wire, folding the flattened p01- tion upon itself bringing said flattened, sur-- faces together, drawing out the stock at the bend into a point, and forming an eye in the stock having an opening covered by the folded portion, and enlarging the shank by attaching to the same an extra piece of stock.

6. An improved method of forming a nec- (110 which consists in reducing and flattening :1 portion of wire, folding the flattened por tion upon itself bringing said flattened surfaces together, drawing out the stock at the bend into e'point, and forming an eye in the stock having an openingcovered by the fold ed. portion, applying to the body thereof a retaining member for securing the free end of the folded portion to the body portion swagin stock.

In testimony whereof I ajlix my signature in presence of two witnesses. 1

v JAMES A. LIND.

around the some an extra piece of ll 'itnesses HOWARD E. BARLOW, E. I. OGDEN.

-rging the shank by wrapping and 

